My Hero Academia has become a staple in the anime industry and stolen the hearts of old and new anime fans since its debut. One of its crowning achievements has to be its creative and diverse use of powers, known as quirks, that only some of the population are gifted with.
As you might guess, there are countless quirks introduced in the manga, anime, and spin-off series. To create some structure to the ranking system, I decided to look at the quirk’s usefulness in rescuing victims from danger, battling against other quirks, and their limitations of use. With that being said, take your seats, open up to the Class 1-A chapter of your fan books, and let’s get the lesson started.
10. Acid - Mina Ashido
Starting off the list is a skillful dancer of Class 1-A, Mina Ashido, and her quirk Acid. When we were first introduced to this quirk, I didn’t see the appeal. It was definitely a unique quirk, but I couldn’t wrap my head around the effectiveness. The Acid quirk allows the user to produce a corrosive liquid from their body. Depending on the user’s discretion, this liquid could melt surfaces or let the user slide on it. The Acid quirk slips and falls into the case of how the character was able to manipulate it to fit their strengths. Ashido is known to be quick on her feet, so using her quirk to increase her speed while decreasing the mobility of her opponent is pretty smart. Plus how she is able to create a wall of acid that blocks projectiles can definitely help boost her defenses. Splashing acid around will help put more distance between the opponents and slow down their movement. As for how useful this quirk can be in rescuing victims in danger, it would be best for defending from projectiles and making a quick getaway to safety. This quirk can be pretty useful in combat by how corrosive the acid is. Not to mention, the Acid quirk would be versatile in both close-range and long-range fighting styles. The main quirk exertion drawback is your skin will gradually lose its natural resistance to the liquid, which can make or break a battle. Ashido surprised me with how effective her quirk can be and that’s why it should be on this list.
9. Sugar Rush - Rikido Sato
This next quirk hasn’t seen the spotlight all too much, but I’m more excited to see how it develops in the series. Sugar Rush increases Rikido Sato’s strength five-fold for three minutes. In order to activate these Hulk-like abilities, one must consume 10 grams of sugar. In rescue missions, this quirk could be utilized to aid victims trapped under fallen debris and carry them to safety. Since the quirk mostly limits the user to close-range attacks, it wouldn’t be able to handle long-range quirk users like Todoroki’s Half-Hot Half-Cold quirk. But if the user is able to get within range of its target, the opponent would end up with a lot of damage. With this Herculean strength, there can’t be any downside, right? Wrong! The major downside of this quirk is your intelligence is lowered and you are defenseless. Another glaring weakness is the time limit of the quirk. Since it will only last for three minutes, this puts a colossal time restraint which can be very critical if the battle is very drawn out. As a person who likes to indulge in the cornucopia of desserts, gaining super strength from eating a cookie would be phenomenal, but the sugar crashes would be killer with how abundant sugar is.
8. Zero Gravity - Ochaco Uraraka
Next on the list is one of the best girls in Class 1-A, Ochaco Uraraka, and her quirk Zero Gravity. Zero Gravity allows the user to nullify the effects of gravity on solid targets by touching them with her fingertips. This causes the object to uncontrollably float upwards until it’s released. Personally when I first saw this quirk in action at the Entrance Exams, I knew Kohei Horikoshi had stellar creative juices in store for the quirks. I believe this quirk deserves to be on the list just by how helpful it would be in the My Hero Academia universe when disasters strike. Being able to move rubble on top of victims weighs heavily in most life or death situations. Plus seeing the growth Uraraka has made since enrolled in UA High proves that the quirk is worthy to be on this list. Playing the support role isn’t the only thing it’s great at. Zero gravity can subdue your opponent by just floating them away. Also, who wouldn’t want to use Meteor Storm on a villain? The limitations to this quirk can be detrimental with the float weight limit at 3 tons. And if it’s used on yourself or holds the objects for too long, then the user will feel nauseous. Overall, this quirk is too great to be ignored. Not only can it play a supportive role in rescue missions and battles, but the drawbacks are minor compared to other quirks.
7. Engine - Tenya Iida
Speeding into spot seven is the Engine quirk used by Tenya Iida. As the name suggests, the user has engines fused with their bodies, granting them insane speed and kicks. Initially, the Engine quirk didn’t rev up my hype, mostly because having engines fused with my calves stalled my excitement. But after clearing the smoke, I can see how useful it could be. This quirk is ideal for any hero who wants to rescue people caught in the crossfire and scavenge for survivors of a disaster. With speed on your side, the user can control the distance between the opponents. Not only that, it can be used offensively, as shown with Ida’s super move, Recipro Burst. The major drawbacks of this quirk are if you use Recipro Burst, then it will only last for 10 seconds and the engine is stalled for a short period of time. Also if you get anything stuck in your exhaust pipes, then it can clog up your abilities. If it wasn’t for these drawbacks, then Engine would be placed higher on the list.
6. Explosion - Katsuki Bakugo
Blasting next on the list is the Explosion quirk used by Katsuki Bakugo. With the reputation holding up to its name, the Explosion quirk works off of the user’s sweat glands in the palms, turning it into powerful explosions on the user’s command. Bakugo is expertly comfortable with his quirk where he can use it to propel himself faster to his destination or blast people away. In terms of rescuing, the Explosion quirk acts as a great defense for blocking attacks or falling debris and getting to the scene in time. Just by its sheer prowess in battle, it’s probably the strongest offensive quirks in 1-A. The limitations can be harmful if used excessively. Overuse of this quirk can cause pain in the forearms. With great power and versatility wrapped into a skilled user, it’s a no brainer why this quirk is on this list.
5. One For All - Izuku Midoriya
Can we even call this a Top Quirk list if we didn’t include One For All? Originally owned by All Might and passed down to his star pupil, Izuku Midoriya, One For All is a powerful quirk. From what is known about the quirk from the anime (spoiler warning), One For All stockpiles the strength from all the previous users to amplify the user’s physical abilities to superhuman levels. As you can imagine, it would allow the user to travel faster to their destinations to save victims and get them to safety (or if you’re All Might, flex your way at high speeds to your target). Also, you can channel super powerful punches or kicks to any villains in your path. With enough training, the user is able to control the percentage along with the area they want to focus the power to. The detrimental downside to this quirk is the strain it has on an inexperienced user. As we saw with Deku’s Entrance Exam and battles following, the great power heavily damages the user. If it wasn’t for this deep of a downfall and Recovery Girl’s sweet kisses, I’d rank this quirk higher.
4. Hardening - Eijiro Kirishima
Hardening at the number four spot is a rock-solid candidate with a strong quirk! That’s Eijiro Kirishima and his quirk Hardening. As you can decipher from the name, this quirk allows the user to harden and sharpen any or all parts of their body to an insane degree, causing the skin to have a jagged texture. This quirk can easily be used to defend people who are in danger and act as a distraction by soaking up the hits and allowing the victims to flee. Not only will your defense be greatly increased, but your offense will pack a huge punch since you can harden your fists and other body parts like hair to strike your opponent. When battling against other quirks, it would be able to hold up for a long time to deal damage back or until exhaustion hits them first. But with this sturdy wall, there are ways to make it crumble. One drawback is the quirk is limited to the user’s stamina. Therefore, overexertion can hit the user faster than the opponent. Also, the quirk focuses on physical damage, but is highly susceptible to gaseous quirks as we saw during the battle between Mustard and Tetsutetsu. With that aside, the Hardening quirk is well-rounded overall and why it is ranked on this list.
3. Creation - Momo Yaoyorozu
Alright, we made it to some of more unique quirks in Class 1-A. Coming in at number three is Momo Yaoyorozu’s Creation quirk. This quirk allows the user to create any non-living object from her skin by transforming her fat cells. The catch for this insanely great ability is the user has to understand the molecular structure of whatever material she wants to make. As one can see, this quirk would be useful with rescuing and saving victims from inflicted wounds. Not only that, Momo has shown that she is able to adapt to any situation and provide support to her allies. Although Momo hasn’t won many battles on her own, she has shown offensive potential with the ability to create cannons and launch items to injure her opponents. Not only that, if the user is skilled with a certain weapon, in Momo’s case a bo staff, creating these would be a breeze! But with all great abilities, there are downsides. For starters, her quirk transforms her fat cells into objects, you will need to know the molecular structure of that object. Another drawback is the “fuel” it uses. Depleting your body of fat cells can seriously weaken your body to the point of being anemic. But as a plus side, you’d be able to eat all the sweets that you want with hardly any consequences.
2. Dark Shadow - Fumikage Tokoyami
Taking the silver spot on this list is Fumikage Tokoyami’s quirk, Dark Shadow. This quirk allows the user to manifest a sentient shadow monster from his body that can move freely. The strength of the shadow’s powers are dependent on the amount of light in the environment. So during the daytime, Tokoyami has greater control and the shadow monster is less powered. With great control and practice, Tokoyami has been able to control the monster in many creative ways. One way is by covering himself with the Dark Shadow like a suit of armor and increasing his offense abilities. In this form, Dark Shadow creates sharp claws (Piercing Twilight Claws) or enlarges his arms to smash the opponent (Covert Black-Ops Arms). This quirk can easily be applied to rescuing victims by having the user carry them to safety while Dark Shadow acts as a bodyguard. With a variety of super moves and fighting strategies, the quirk gives the user an advantage on their opponent because you’re fighting against two things. One major drawback is how much stronger Dark Shadow gets when concealed in darkness or nighttime. During the Training Camp Arc, Tokoyami was overwhelmed by Dark Shadow and demolished the villain Moonfish while injuring other UA High students. With this powerful rampage in mind, this quirk is still powerful and why it earned the spot of number two!
1. Half-Hot Half-Cold - Shoto Todoroki
At last, we finally made it to the number one quirk of Class 1-A, the Half-Hot Half-Cold specialist, Shoto Todoroki. As the name reads, the user is able to generate ice from the right side of the body and fire from the left side. And with enough practice, the user has the potential to dual-wield both powers at the same time and unleash a mighty blow to their opponent. With that in mind, this icy-hot quirk can double-down for both protection and offense. The user could create walls of ice (Heaven-Piercing Ice Wall) to eliminate projectiles and even freeze enemies in their tracks. And it can be very useful when dealing with villains. Switching between ice and fire will keep your opponent constantly guessing your next move and their next step. As you might assume from the other candidates on this list, this quirk comes with drawbacks. One drawback is if the user only uses one element, then the body can suffer from heatstroke or frostbite respectively. The other drawback is when dual-wielding the elements, the user’s speed is slowed down. But with cooling control and a fiery passion, this quirk is easily the best quirk of Class 1-A.